


It's All In the Family

by WhumpTown



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Good Parent Gil Arroyo, Grandpa Gil, Hurt Malcolm Bright, Malcolm Bright Gets a Hug, Malcolm Bright Needs a Hug, Malcolm Bright Whump, Mom!Dani, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Prodigal Son Family, Protective Gil Arroyo, dad!malcolm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22997194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhumpTown/pseuds/WhumpTown
Summary: Parent BrightwellNight terrorsElectric Shock TherapyWhumpFluff
Relationships: Dani Powell & JT Tarmel, Gil Arroyo & Dani Powell, Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright, Malcolm Bright & JT Tarmel, Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 6
Kudos: 77





	It's All In the Family

Seeing that golden band around his ring finger does nothing to soothe her nerves of the sparkling gleam of his watery eyes gazing at her. She knows it does something for him, a connection solidified, proven resting akin on both their hands. It’s the only good thing he can fathom about his “shakey bandage hand”. 

“I just…” she doesn’t want to admit she hates the idea. She is the only person that ever likes his ideas or, at least, attempts to fathom a good version of his idea. This one… Usually, his ideas entail a risk but those risks, with a little thought, can be averted with care. This time, with this idea, she sees no way to avert this risk. “I need time to think about it, okay?” The risk is beyond her hands, beyond her mind.

The soft patter of feet on the floor alerts them to their visitor, a four-year-old with wild bed head missing the pajama pants Dani knows she put him in last night. “Mommy,” he offers her a short nod of his head before barreling off in the direction of his father. “Daddy!” 

“Milo!” Malcolm makes a show of turning around dramatically as if he couldn’t have heard the footsteps running down the hall. He picks the small boy up, peppering the side of his face in kisses until Milo’s giggling and struggling away from the attention. “You slept in this morning.” He jogs the small boy up, moving him so Malcolm can see their matching blue eyes. 

Dani watches the two of them, melting at the sight. She watches Milo yawn and lay his head against Malcolm’s shoulder. Her heart swells impossibly at the soft smile on Malcolm’s face. Seeing him like this, sweeping their son’s hair from his face, and laying a gentle kiss to his temple. She wonders how it is anyone let this man convince himself he wasn’t worthy of being a father.

So, how can he, not even five minutes ago, look her in the eyes and claim that changing himself with fix them? Where does he see a problem? Even so, how is that the problem is going to be solved with brain stimulation or electricity? 

“Daddy?” Milo has his left-hand tangled in the hair at the back of Malcolm’s head. It’s a dance the two of them do often. Milo could care less about Dani’s curly hair but their little boy loves to lay his head on Malcolm’s shoulder and play with Malcolm’s hair. It’s soothing. “Will you make me…” he kicks his little legs at Malcolm’s sides, rubbing the neck of Malcolm’s shirt between his thumb and forefinger. 

“Cereal?” Malcolm offers, flipping a pancake. 

Milo giggles, “ no.”

“Do you want… oatmeal?”

Milo giggles again, pushing his face into Malcolm’s neck and shaking his head again.

“Ah,” Malcolm says, shuffling the pancake onto his spatula and putting it atop the small pile he’s made. “Well, what do you want Milo?” 

“Uhm… Giant pancake!”

Malcolm opens his mouth in mock surprise. “Giant pancake? You want-” Malcolm attacks Milo’s sides with his fingers- “You want a giant pancake!”

Dani watches them from behind her coffee cup. 

“Mommy?” Malcolm whips the two of them around, “do you think I should make Milo a giant pancake or, OR should I make him a regular-” Milo sits up with fever, tiny hands clamping over Malcolm’s mouth. 

“No!” Milo looks over at Dani,” mommy, I want a giant pancake. Tell daddy!”

She smiles, settling her face before easing her mug back down. She pretends to think about it. “Hmm,” she puts a finger to her lips, Milo draws out a ‘mommy’ at the time she’s taking. “I suppose daddy should make you a giant pancake.”

The kitchen erupts in noise, Malcolm and Milo’s contagious laughter. 

Malcolm makes Milo his giant pancake. He makes a show of pouring the batter into the pan and spreading it so that the edges of the pancake meet the pans. They do it together, Milo watching for the pancake’s batter to begin to bubble from his seat on the counter while Malcolm gathers up some orange juice and the syrup. 

Malcolm sees a problem to fix, deep within himself. Past mistakes that he has conjured up and wants Dani to understand that if in the past he has had night terrors and hallucinations. They were active and destructive, they nearly cost them their relationship. They have all but disappeared, Malcolm hasn’t experienced either since before Milo’s birth. That doesn’t mean he isn’t ill anymore. Insomnia still claims his sleep, he can’t stomach most foods, and his hands tremble. 

Therefore, he wants to change. He has two ideas at the moment, both of which he knows he can get because money talks and so does his medical record. Electric shock therapy is what he advocates for the most, they know it works. Kind of. Then he proposed a pill sedation with a physiatrist. Which seemed safer but would also require dredging up old memories as he would have to explain his past. A quick google search also showed aggravation, in the drugged state, was common.

But he’s perfect to her. His shaky hands aren’t a personality flaw, they’re like the other scars on his body. A reminder that he doesn’t run when things get hard and that he stands up for what’s right. He’s strong and determined. She doesn’t want him to change.

\--------------------

She wakes in the middle of the night, too late.

Malcolm hadn’t had a night terror in five years. Nightmares were nearly non-existent. Malcolm keeps the restraints bolted into the wall behind the bed, a safety blanket. He wears the mouthguard, still prone to grinding his teeth in his sleep. There are very, very few nights where his sleep is disturbed. With the absence of his father, life had been good. Until Malcolm came up with a permanent fix to a problem they no longer really faced.

Milo’s screams. The sound makes her sit bolt upright, her heart pounding and every instinct in her body calling her to her feet to run. Until her eyes find Milo’s who finds Malcolm.

Malcolm whimpers in his sleep, body jerking and contorting as a dream takes over his reality. 

They’ve gone so long, she used to fear she’d forgotten what to do. Even what not to do. It’s like riding a bike, though, and she recalls exactly how to set their pace. “Malcolm,” she settles herself on his left. “Baby, wake up.” She doesn’t push at him and doesn’t put pressure on more than one body part at a time. She takes one hand in her own, cupping his cheek in the other. Calling his name, gently stroking his sweat-soaked skin. 

Milo sobs. He’s beyond confused, trembling in fear. 

“Malcolm,” Dani pulls Malcolm against her as he startles awake. The same tangle of limbs as when he’d tackled her in the precinct all that time ago. He’s covered in sweat, cold sweat. His chest heaves against her, the old knife scar glistening in the low light. “Malcolm, calm down.” 

She can feel his body react to the sight of their son. The heavy gasps turning to catch in his throat, the hand around her back gripping her shirt tightly in his fist. 

Milo sobs ring loudly in the room, his eyes watching his father’s matching ones. 

Dani untangles herself from Malcolm, leaving him now that she knows he’s capable of being on his own. He watches as she leaves the bed. Sees the way Milo clings to Dani in fear, his little arms wrapped tight around her neck. “Baby,” she shushes him to no avail. His cries growing in intensity when she steps back towards the bed. “Hunny,” her voice is drowned out by his cries.

She takes him back to his room, rubbing his back and soothing his hair. She’s always been a little sore that the child she pushed out of her body preferred her husband to her most of the time. He’d rather Malcolm wash his hair. He’d rather Malcolm make him dinner or help him brush his teeth. Never, not once, had she wished for it to be different, though. Sure, she’d like to be the one Milo gives hug and kisses to first but she would never wish to take that look out of Malcolm’s eyes when Milo’s first word had been ‘dada’. 

“Baby,” she brushes his hair from his face, stroking a tear from where it falls alone down his cheek. “It’s okay. Daddy was having a really bad dream.” Milo hiccups, two more tears falling as his little chin trembles. “There is nothing wrong. Daddy is okay. Mommy is okay.” Dani cups both of his cheeks in her hand,” you are okay.” Dani pulls him back against her, collecting his small body in her arms. “Would you like to come lay in mommy and daddy’s bed?” 

She knows Milo draws comfort from sleeping with them. She extends this olive branch, an invitation back into their room. They don’t tend to let him sleep in there but there are always exceptions to rules. Her husband might venture, rules are meant to be broken anyhow. 

Milo shakes his head.

She lays with him until he falls back to sleep. She runs her blunt nails up and down his back, shushing him. Just like his father, he settles into her side. She can see so much more of Malcolm as he sleeps. The shape of his lips and the soft little sounds he makes in his sleep. 

She presses a kiss to his temple, pulling his blankets up over his shoulders. 

“Malcolm-” she turns to the doorway and he’s there. He’s put no clothes on, still, in the briefs, he went to sleep in. He shivers despite the warmth of the apartment. No doubt, the chills of fear and guilt. Tears spill from his eyes, his shoulders shaking. 

He moves away from her touch. Stepping just to the left of the hand she attempts to place on his shoulder. “You didn’t mean-”

He looks at her, those startling blue eyes filled to the brim with tears. “It doesn’t matter, Dani.” His voice breaks, trembling like the rest of his body on the edge. She already knows the connections being made in his mind. There’s a maze of ghosts in his brain, a chamber of poorly kept secrets. “Don’t you see,” he reasons,” this is why I have to do it.” His hands tremble as he attempts to make his case. “Tonight I scared him but what about next time? What if I hurt him, Dani?”

She hasn’t the same fear. 

Those trembling hands find their way to her shoulders,” I have to do it.”

She can’t understand how a single night terror equates whatever radical medical treatment he’s found. “Give him time,” she asks. “He’s a baby, Malcolm.” She can remember the first time she saw one of the night terrors, her reaction was very similar to their boys. “A child. The night terrors are-are scary for all of us! But a child? He saw his father, in agony, afraid.” She reaches for his face, cupping his cheeks. Fatherhood looks good on Malcolm and she’d hate to see all their hard work be torn away by a single bad night.

“But Dani…”

“My love,” Dani’s own tears spill from her eyes. “Please.”

He caves, as he always does. A promise does not escape his lips, though. He just presses his feverishly warm skin against hers. He prays she can’t see the plan in his eyes. She prays he sees reason.

\--------------------

Malcolm wakes up alone. 

He turns his head to his right and finds only Dani, no Milo. 

He pulls himself from the bed and jogs a pair of sweatpants over his hips.

As soon as Milo learned to crawl Malcolm had learned to avoid stepping on his shadow. Malcolm learned to do every daily activity with Milo. He can make an omelet with one hand and flip a pancake with one too. Every morning, Milo escapes from his bed and comes to Dani and Malcolm’s. He crawls up the side of the bed and plants himself on Malcolm’s chest, curling just under his chin. 

Today, Malcolm missed that weight.

He makes breakfast, his son fast asleep in his own bed.

“Morning,” Dani greets, wrapping an arm around his waist and pressing a kiss to his cheek. His skin is cool and he doesn’t move back against her. 

He pushes the eggs in the pan around slowly.

Dani’s heart sinks a little. “I’m gonna go wake our boy up,” she kisses his cheek and pulls away from him.

“Hello, my baby!” Dani smiles at the sleepy, bed-headed Milo as he groggily comes down the hallway. She was just on her way to wake him when he stepped out on his own, rubbing his eyes with his little fist. “Did you sleep well?” She lifts him up, pressing a kiss to his head.

Malcolm glances at the two of them, anxious.

Dani steps back to the kitchen, to Malcolm. “Go to daddy-” Milo jerks his body away, pressing his face into Dani. “Milo,” she fusses, softly. “Go to your daddy.” The little hands around her neck tighten. “Milo,” she tries again, knowing that all of this simply adds to Malcolm’s plans. Solidifies them. 

“Dani,” Malcolm whispers sadly,” don’t. Just don’t.”

And she knows she has lost.

She has lost love to fear.

Hope for irrational.

Malcolm to Martin.

“Where’s pretty boy?” JT looks up upon her entrance and frowns when Malcolm isn’t tight on her heels. It’s been years of the same thing every morning. So, it throws him off a little when things don’t go like normal. “Don’t tell me after twenty-years of having the same schedule he moved therapy to like Wednesdays or something, right?”

Dani shakes her head, eyes avoidant. She walks past her desk, past his too. She doesn’t say a word as she moves through the precinct straight for Gil’s office. JT watches from the outside, the frantic waves Dani moves her hands. She knows where Malcolm left for this morning but she doesn’t know which poison he’s chosen. The consequence is still the same.

“JT,” Gil ushers Dani from his office, hand on her back. “You get Milo from daycare at 5:30?”

JT nods,” of course.” It’s not like it would be the first time he’s picked up his GodSon from daycare. It will be the first time for reasons he hasn’t yet been told though. “Everything okay?”

Gil pushes Dani on and shakes his head,” it’s Malcolm, so-”

“No.”

Gil drives them to the hospital, reassuringly reaching over and squeezing Dani’s hand. He senses the nosedive in the hope the minute they reach the entrance to the hospital. Dani’s anxiety going from bad to worse. “He’s fine,” Gil promises but they both know he can’t really know that. “He’s Malcolm,” Gil tries again,” he’s always fine.”

But Gil hadn’t been the one to receive the call. Gil didn’t hear the nurse as she tripped and stumbled over her explanation of what it was exactly Malcolm got himself into. Mild tachycardia with a seizure thrown in for added effects. 

But Gil’s right. He always is.

“I’ll go get Milo,” Gil says just outside the hospital door. They can see Malcolm from here and she knows Gil is leaving to give them time to sort through this but to also soothe any fear that might present itself when Malcolm or Dani isn’t there to pick Milo up. “Take care of him.” He has no doubts that she will.

The sight of him melts her heart. All those machines surrounding him, making his naturally small build so much smaller. She can see his shoulders shaking under the blanket pulled up to his ears and she knows he’s crying softly. “Baby,” she calls from the doorway, coming around to the other side of his bed so she can see his face. “Oh, Malcolm.” She’s not sure what she should do but she knows what she wants to do. So, she pats his thigh and climbs on to the bed beside him.

It takes a moment to settle, she has to move the IV snaking into his hand and the pulse ox wire. She’s got years of experience wiggling around hospitals, Malcolm has a very long history. Being that close she can see the irritation burns on his temples. She reaches up, gently brushing his hair from the wounds. “Malcolm,” she whispers, wiping the fresh tears away from his eyes. “Don’t hurt me,” she whispers, cupping his jaw in her hand. She wipes a tear away with her thumb pressing a kiss to his lips. “I’m not as strong as I look.” The hair on his face scratches her fingers and she smiles a watery smile. “I can’t lose you.”

He opens his eyes, tears streaming down his face. Those startling blue eyes are lined with irritated pink skin. He leans forward, pushing his face into her shoulder. She wraps her arms around him, pulling him closer. 

“Why did you do it?” She runs her fingers up the back of his head, trailing slowly with her blunt nails. She knows why, deep down, probably. “Why,” she asks again, pressing her forehead to his. She needs to hear him say it but more importantly, she needs him to come to the conclusion she has. 

He smiles, tears still streaming, and it’s not a happy smile. It’s one of sadness and despair, it’s what he does because his mouth can not twist into a bitter frown that fully conveys his discontent. Confused and still so alone in his own mind, he smiles. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, a hiccup pitching his chest. “It was stupid. I did it to myself. You were right.” His eyes meet hers as he whispers that last sentence. 

She can see it in his eyes, his need to appease her at this moment. He’s seeking forgiveness and he thinks he can earn it by kissing her ass. “I don’t care that I was right, Malcolm.” She locks his eyes with her own, pulling her hand back around to his face and cupping his jaw. “You could have been right for all I care but what I was afraid of was what you wanted.” A tear of her own falls from her eyes and Malcolm watches it fall down her cheek. “You wanted to erase my husband. You wanted to get rid of the parts of you that I love the most.”

He opens his mouth, surely that can’t be true. 

She puts her thumb over his lips, half-smiling at just the power move she’s placed over him. His own lips return the small grin and she knows she has won in some small way. “I’m not debating with you,” she informs him, removing her thumb from his lips. “Today you wanted to take away every damaged part of you.” She puts her forehead against his,” but I don’t see those parts as damaged, Malcolm.” She sighs,” I hate that you’re self-conscious about your hands but I love how steady they are when you touch our son. I hate that you are angry with yourself for being hurt by your father. But, Malcolm, I love how that draws you so much closer to me and to Milo.”

She can feel his hot tears running down her back as he presses his face back into her shoulder, holding her tight. “I love you, you stubborn idiot.” She presses a kiss to his cheek and he laughs, deep within his chest. The sound makes her smile. “Please,” her cracks at the thought alone, “don’t leave me, Malcolm. I couldn’t do any of this without you.”

He nods his head, pulling away from her. He cups her jaw this time, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. “I love you too,” he sniffles and laughs despite the tears rolling down his eyes. “I, uh, pissed myself when they shocked me. If that- if that makes this at all better.”

Dani rolls her eyes and presses her face into his shoulder. She finds that he still smells like Malcolm despite the hospital smells around them. She kisses his bare neck,” yes and no.” She laughs just a little and finds herself giggling like crazy. He joins her madness like he always does. 

A throat is cleared by the doorway and their laughter dies quickly as they glance to see who it is. “Sorry to interrupt,” it’s the doctor from earlier, Malcolm hardly recognizes the man. “I have some good news,” he smiles and holds up papers that the two of them can recognize easily by now. “Early-”

“Release papers,” Malcolm sighs, eyes closing and dramatically leaning into Dani.

The doctor laughs and comes the rest of the way into the room. He smiles and holds a hand up when Dani moves to awkwardly detach herself from Malcolm. “Yes the beauty that is release papers,” he hands Dani a pen as well as the papers. “I figure it's better to send you home than having you waiting around this petri dish.” He points to the tabs where Dani needs to sign. “Just sign there and you can be there on your way.”

Dani signs and Malcolm makes the call to Gil to come pick them up.

“Thank you so much,” Dani takes the scrub pants from the nurse. If she felt silly asking a nurse for scrub pants she knows Malcolm is going to feel silly for needing them. She just didn’t think about getting him more comfortable clothes. “I’m sorry,” she tries again, feeling bad that Malcolm’s struggling but also that she can’t do anything about it. 

She finds him exactly where she left him, in his underpants hunched over himself. He looks up at her as she comes back into the room. “... ‘s not your fault.” She helps him sit back up, settling down on one knee and putting his feet into the pant’s holes. She helps him shimmy them over his butt, he struggles to hold his weight up but with her help, they get the looser pants on. “Thank you.”

She stands back up, examining his exhausted frame. Those startling blue eyes drooping as they look up at her. She cups his jaw, offering him that content sad smile that tends to make its appearance at times like this. “Let’s you home, Bright.” He smiles, leaning limply until his body comes to hers and wraps his arms around her hips, his face against her sides. 

He struggles to get into the wheelchair. He can’t walk to the doors, that’s very clear, but just forcing his legs under him nearly sends him on to his ass. “Easy,” Dani holds him as well as she can, her heart sore with the sight of Malcolm struggling so much. “Easy.” He curls into his side, wrapping his bare arms around his frame. 

The nurse takes one look at him and pulls one of the blankets from the closet. “Here you go sweetheart,” she tucks it around Malcolm’s shoulders. “I can’t send you out there without a coat or blanket.”

Malcolm nods his head, still leaning and eyes dropping more progressively by the second.

Dani pushes him out, waving to the front desk and to Malcolm’s doctor as they pass. When they get to the sliding doors, she looks for Gil’s black car. He should be here, she knows Malcolm called.

A horn across the parking lot goes off and a familiar green car backs out of a parking spot and heads straight for them. Dani recognizes JT in the front seat and she waves to him. He pulls the car up the doors, hopping out, and coming around to the side. “Front or back?”

Dani glances down at Malcolm,” back?” He doesn’t respond and she knows her decision to call back is probably the best. She reaches down and shakes Malcolm’s shoulder until he picks his head back up from his chest. He hums, groggily looking around him. She steps to the front of the wheelchair, “come on, let’s go home.”

She gets him to his feet, glancing at JT when Malcolm’s face goes unnaturally pale. 

“Bright,” JT gently squeezes Malcolm’s hand. “You okay?”

“JT?” Malcolm’s knees tremble under his weight, his blue eyes flashing to JT. The other man knows what Malcolm’s asking and he doesn’t hesitate to close the space between them. He crouches just slightly, telling Malcolm to take a breath in as JT scoops up his bony frame into his arms. 

“Malcolm,” JT breathes his name, anxious when Malcolm presses his forehead into his shoulder. Malcolm squeezes his shoulder, a nonverbal ‘I’m okay’. “Are you sure?” Malcolm squeezes his shoulder again and JT motions with his head for Dani to take the wheelchair back. “I’ve got him.” JT moves slowly to the car. Malcolm’s light and it’s easy to move him into the back of the car. JT does his best to make him comfortable, wrapping his blanket tight around his shoulders. 

“Where’d she go?” Malcolm whispers, knees tucked to his chest and eyes slowly moving around the car.

JT pats his thigh,” she’ll be right back, man. No sweat.”

Malcolm hums softly, eyes drifting back shut.

JT points Dani to the back seat and he smiles at the soft way Dani’s face lights up when she slides into the backseat beside Malcolm. He can hear the two of them fussing as he drives, Dani’s soft laughter as Malcolm mutters sleepily and pushes himself as close as he can to her. There was a time when he thought Dani was going to give up on love. When he thought that maybe she should give up on love. Then came Malcolm with his hallucinations, bad jokes, and daddy issues. They get on like a house on fire and JT would die for them.

When they get back to Malcolm and Dani’s apartment it’s dark. 

“You got it, big man?” JT asks but they both know what he’s really saying. He’s offering to carry Malcolm and to Malcolm’s credit, he gives it his best shot. He makes it all the way to the door before his left knee nearly takes him to the floor. “I gotcha,” JT whispers before hooking his hand under Malcolm’s knee. JT carries him into the house, positioning him on the couch and covering him back up with his hospital blanket.

Gil is anxiously waiting in the kitchen for a rundown.

“He’ll be fine,” Dani tells him, smiling sadly. She hugs Gil, squeezing him. “Thank you for taking care of Milo.”

Gil hugs her back, sighing. “He’s my grandkid, Powell.” He kisses the top of her head, giving her back a rub before breaking their hug. “Speaking of, I’ve been informed I don’t do the bedtime voices right. So don’t be surprised if the little shit asks for two tomorrow.”

Dani rolls her eyes, “just like his father.” Dani frowns when she sees JT coming back down the hall. “JT-”

He throws his hands up, “I just went to check on Milo.” He shakes his head, rolling his eyes, “I didn’t wake him up.”

Dani, not sure if she believes him yet, ushers him out. Thanking him again for the ride and help, he does what he always does and brushes it off. She and Malcolm would do the same for him. Gil is right behind JT, stopping at the couch to whisper something to Malcolm before grabbing his coat. “Get some sleep, kid.” He presses a kiss to her hairline,” I mean it.”

She just smiles. She’s not sure she’ll be able to. Her skin is crawling, she hasn’t touched Malcolm’s skin or felt for his heartbeat in so long that she can’t be sure he hasn’t just died. Slipped away by a bout of tachycardia like the doctor warned. 

“Mommy?” Dani turns and finds Milo. He’s once again stripped of his pajama bottoms and she’s not sure what kind of genes Malcolm has passed to their son. As both of them refuse to wear pants to bed. His little chest jerks as he hiccups, tears falling down his cheeks. “W-Where’s daddy?” He hiccups again, making a soft miserable sound. “I had a bad-bad dream.”

Dani smiles, prepared to tell Milo that Daddy’s sick. She steps forward and finds Malcolm in her peripheral. He’s standing, leaning heavily on the couch’s side, but he’s up.

“Come here, buddy.” Malcolm opens his arm and Milo runs straight to him. The two of them embrace roughly but all her worry is washed down the drain. Milo hugs Malcolm tightly, his little limbs winding around Malcolm as tight as he can. Malcolm’s face is devoid of struggle, that natural smile smacked on his face as he comforts his son. “What happened?”

Milo shakes his head, little fist clenching Malcolm’s shirt tight.

“Come on,” Malcolm urges,” you can tell me, buddy.”

Milo sobs and Malcolm aborts his mission to get the truth out of him. He rubs Milo’s back, looking over his shoulder as he settles them on the couch. He rubs Milo’s back, shushing him as Milo’s sobs slowly calm down. When Milo leans back, Malcolm brushes his tears away. “What happened buddy?”

Milo leans into Malcolm, tucking his head under Malcolm's chins. “The monster…” Milo pauses so Malcolm runs his hand up and down his back again. “The monster, he hurt you. He’s-He’s under my bed.” Milo lets out a fearful whine, pushing his face into Malcolm's chest. 

Malcolm, with all his heart, wishes he could tell his son there aren’t any monsters. But there are. Malcolm, with all his heart, wants to guarantee Milo that no monster will ever hurt him or Milo. But he can’t. So, he promises what he can. “Buddy,” he rubs the back of Milo’s neck. “There aren’t any monsters under your bed. There aren’t any monsters in the apartment. Grandpa Gil, JT, Mommy, and Daddy all checked. We all checked, uh, a hundred thousand times.”

Milo senses his father’s attempt to lighten the mood. He lifts his head, tears still wet on his face. He sniffles, “ a hundred thousand?”

Malcolm nods,” a hundred thousand.”

Milo nods. He rubs his nose with his sleeve, getting snot and tears all over the sleeve. Malcolm frowns but doesn't comment. “Daddy,” Milo leans back against Malcolm. “Will you check again, please?”

Malcolm smiles, “of course.” He stands, holding Milo close as the muscles in his legs quiver. He smiles down at Milo, ignoring the strain. He carries Milo back to the room, carrying Milo straight to his bed. He places the boy on the floor as Malcolm bends down and looks under his bed. “Monsters?” He picks the quilt up,” don’t see anything, do you?”

Milo gets down on his knees and shakes his head. 

Malcolm gets up and goes to the closet,” monsters?” He opens the doors and shakes his head,” don’t see anything here either.” Malcolm looks down and Milo’s attached to his hip, hand gripping the scrub pants from earlier. “Do you need me to check anywhere else?”

Milo shakes his head but looks back at his bed in fear. “Daddy,” he looks up at Malcolm and then to the bed. “Will you stay? Just tell I fall asleep?”

Malcolm scoops him up, muscles screaming. “Of course.” He hits the lights and crawls into Milo’s twin-sized mattress. He smiles into the dark when he feels Milo tuck his blanket around Malcolm, nestling as close as he can. “Good night, buddy. I love you.”

Milo rustles under the sheets,” I love you too, daddy.” Malcolm’s heart seizes painfully tight when he feels a tiny kiss being pressed to his cheek. “Night.”

She finds them in bed together. Milo’s entire body is draped over Malcolm. He’s on his stomach, head tucked under Malcolm’s chin. His legs are splayed, one on both sides of Malcolm's chest, and a hand gripping Malcolm’s shirt firmly. She can see their chest rising, see them breathing, but she still presses two fingers to Malcolm’s throat.

“Mmm,” he opens an eye and looks up at her. He sighs and closes it,” not dead.”

Dani smiles and pulls her hand away,” too bad.” She draws her hand through his hair, “I really thought I was about to collect some nice life insurance and-” She pulled down suddenly, narrowly escaping falling on Milo and Malcolm. She can’t shush her laughter and Milo stirs awake.

“Mommy?” He lifts his head from Malcolm’s chest, looking up at his father before scowling at Dani. “Why are you in my bed?”

Dani rolls her eyes, “really, Milo? How often do you sleep in my bed?”

Milo shrugs and settles back down on Malcolm’s chest. “You gonna stay,” the question is muffled with a great yawn. 

Dani looks at Malcolm and then at Milo. “Should I?”

Milo repositions himself, scooting up Malcolm’s body until he rolls on to the mattress between them. He sits up, bright eyes looking between his parents, “lets go to your bed.” He doesn’t wait for them to agree, he stands up on the bed, stepping over Malcolm, and slides down on to the floor. He pulls his blanket down behind him,” ‘m on.”

He leaves them.

“Come on, Bright.” Dani throws her leg over Malcolm’s hips, climbing out of bed. Malcolm grabs her hips, halting her just overtop him. “Malcolm-”

His hand snakes around the back of her head and he leans her down until their lips meet. The kiss is tender and sweet. He leans up until their foreheads touch, “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” she leans down to return the kiss but they’re rudely interrupted.

“Mommy!” There’s a second of silence before “Daddy!” follows. 

Dani kisses him, moaning at the dramatic flare their son puts on their everyday lives. 

“I believe we’re being called,” Malcolm whispers as she adds a second kiss.

Dani puffs a laugh, “we’d better go before your son comes back in here and drags us out.”

“My son-”

“Yeah, your son.”

“That’s not fair,” Malcolm grunts, accepting Dani’s hand up. “He’s only every mine when he’s like this.”

Dani stops and fixes him with a ‘duh’ look. She shakes her head and takes his hand, leading him out of the room. Milo greets them in bed, buried under the comforter. They sleep naturally. Milo and Malcolm the pantless monsters they are. Milo kicks Dani several times in his sleep and Malcolm snores loudly for ten minutes before Dani manages to push him on to his back. 

But

She wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> The only thing I enjoy about life these days is writing Malcolm and Dani as parents...


End file.
